Collaborative music making

Recent highlights include a solo performance with the London Contemporary Orchestra at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, broadcast live on Dutch public radio; directing United Strings of Europe in our Southbank Centre debut, exploring deafness and the many ways we experience music; and performing the solo violin part in the original version of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Ulster Orchestra and Alpesh Chauhan at Belfast’s Ulster Hall.

Listening is at the heart of what I do. For me, music begins with paying attention: to the people around you, to different traditions and experiences, and to the possibilities that emerge when those things meet.

As a violinist, director and arranger, I’ve built a musical life that moves between different roles and worlds. I love the immediacy of performing, but I’m equally interested in bringing musicians and other artists together, exploring ideas, developing new work and finding fresh insights into music we think we already know.

This curiosity is at the heart of United Strings of Europe, the multinational string ensemble I have led as Artistic Director since 2013. Bringing together musicians from different cultures and musical backgrounds, the ensemble is a place for artistic exploration and exchange. I curate our programmes, develop new projects and create many of our arrangements, looking for connections between different musical traditions and perspectives. Together, we have commissioned and premiered more than 50 works and released six critically acclaimed albums on BIS Records/Platoon, bringing new music into conversation with established repertoire.

Alongside my work with the ensemble, I perform internationally as a soloist, guest concertmaster and director. My 2026/27 season includes leader or director engagements with the Ulster Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Phaedra Ensemble, Chineke! Orchestra, London Choral Sinfonia and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, as well as solo performances with United Strings of Europe, London Concertante and Piccadilly Sinfonietta. I will return to major venues including the Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ulster Hall and KKL Luzern.

Previous invitations as guest concertmaster and director have included Britten Sinfonia, London Contemporary Orchestra, Manchester Collective, Façade Ensemble, Riot Ensemble, Camerata Nordica in Sweden, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway, Orchestre de Chambre de Fribourg, Camerata Venia and Archets du Léman in Switzerland.

My own musical identity does not fit neatly within one tradition. Growing up with different cultural influences, I developed a particular affinity for Middle Eastern music and improvisation alongside my classical training. I’m happiest moving between musical worlds and learning from the people I encounter in them. My recording work reflects this breadth, ranging from classical and contemporary repertoire to film and television for Disney and Netflix, and collaborations with artists including Sigur Rós, Taylor Swift and Rosalía.

Arranging has become a significant part of my musical output. I relish the challenge of adapting music for new formats and ensembles, finding ways to reveal something new about the original work. My arrangements have been performed and choreographed across Europe, the USA and Australasia by ensembles including Nederlands Dans Theater, Scottish Ensemble, Lapland Chamber Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Teaching is another important part of my practice. As an instrumental tutor for the Chineke! Junior Orchestra and through coaching the violin sections of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Symphony Orchestra, I value helping younger musicians develop not only their technique and ensemble skills, but also the confidence and curiosity to find their own musical voice.

Ultimately, I’m interested in music as a way of connecting across cultures, disciplines and experiences. Whether I’m leading an orchestra, arranging a piece, improvising, teaching or developing a new project, I try to begin in the same place – by listening.

I am fortunate to play a violin made by Wiltrud Fauler in 2005 and a bow by Nicolas Maline dating from 1860.